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(No Model.)A 3 Sheets--Sheet 1. J. M. WEBSTER. APPARATUS FOR PEEDING NAILS T0 BOX NAILING MACHINES.

110,451,349. Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

(No Model.)

-3 Sheets-Sheet 2. -J. M. WEBSTER. APPARATUS FOR FEEDING NAILS T0 BOX NAILING MACHINES. N0. 451,349.

ma nofws virtus oo., mmwuma, wlmi (No Model.) l 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. M. WEBSTER.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING NAILS T0 BOX NAILING MACHINES.

No. 451,349. Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOSEPH MARCH VEBSTER, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING NAILS TO BOX-NAILING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,349, dated April 28, 1891.

Application filed October 6, 1890. Serial No. 367,293. (No model.) Patented in England December 13, 1889, No. 20,034, and in France September 22, 1890, No, 208,368.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MARCH WEB- STER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented a cert-ain new and useful Apparatus for Feeding Nails to Box-Nailing Machines, (for which 1 have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 20,034,dated December 13, 188),and in France, No. 208,368, dated September 22, 1890,) of which the following' is a specification.

This invention has reference to apparatus for feeding nails to a box-nailing machine into which nails are removed from a suitable receptacle by a traveling` magnet or magnets by which they are delivered uniformly into an inclined slot, chute, or tube which oonveys them to their respective receptacles on the nailing-machine, as I will now proceed to describe more fully by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is shown so muchof a box-nailing machine as is necessary to illustrate the application thereto.V

Figure l is a side elevation showing nailfeeding apparatus according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation (to a larger scale) taken on line 1 2 of Fig. 3, the feeding-magnets being shown in a different position to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2* is a detail view of means for regulating width of the slots between the sides of the strippingchute. Fig. 3 is a plan o r top view. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged detail views of the automatic delivery-magnets, nail-releasers, and connected parts. Fig. 7 is a front elevation, also enlarged, showing the delivery-magnets and nail-releaser.

A is a receptacle for the iron nails to be fed.

B B are permanent magnets by which nails are removed from the receptacle and discharged into chutes, as hereinafter described. These magnets are preferably horseshoe in shape, and each is attached to a non-mag netic swingingholder or block B, pivoted to one of a setof cross-barsB. These crossbars B are carried by a pair of endless sprocket-chains B2, that work over pairs of chain-wheels B3 B4.

O is a ratchet-wheel lixed to the upper shaft b and into which takes a pawl O', pivoted to a grooved pulley O2. Over this pulley passes a rope O3, one end of which is attached to one arm ot' a lever O4, secured to a rocking shaft D, the other arm of thelever being connected to a weighted foot-lever E. By der'- pressing this lever E the rope O3 will be caused to partly revolve the pulley O2, ratchet C, and wheels B3 B4, thus causing the 'magnets B B to travel a given distance foreach depression ot the foot-lever. A weight c, attached to the other end of the rope O3, serves to return the pulley and pawl to the starting position when the foot-lever is released. By this arrangement the rope will slip over the pulley O2 should either of the magnets become fixed from any cause.

Upon the driving-shaft Z) and between the chain-wheels B3 is a fixed wooden roller G, over which the magnets travel. This roller is partly covered with a strip G of sheet metal, that extends over theinner side of the roller to the lower shaft b', and is shaped` as shown, so as to guide the magnets B and prevent them dropping too suddenly into the opening left between the two sides of the inclined V-shaped stripping-chutes H H. By this means the exposed ends of the magnets are lowered slowly into and are drawn witha sliding motion between the sides of the chute, so that the nails are disengaged from the magnets by which they were held and received by the stripping-chute H H', wherein they are suspended by their heads, their Shanks then extending through the slot h, left between the side bars of which the strippingchute is made.

A top guide H2 may be connected to and above the lower end of each chute H H', as is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. These guides guide the nails down into the slots between parts H H', and prevent the nails sliding downwardly from the chute except between said guides. One side H of each of the stripping-chutes is fixed to or made in one with a fixed chute J, while the opposite side H is secured to a bar H3 that may be moved endwise periodically through a short distance IOO and any imperfect nails in the chute that y might interfere with the working of the apparatus can fall away. The transverse movement of the bar H2 in one direction can be effected by a small wedge or inclined piece H4 projecting from and carried byone of the endless chains B2, and arranged to travel past and against an arm K, connected to the bar H2, as shown in detached end view, Fig. 2'2", thus sliding the arm K and bar H3 sufficiently to one side to admit the nail-heads passing through, the return movement being effected by a spring ll7 (see Fig. 2*) or its equivalent. The normal width of the slots 71, between the sides H and H of the strippingchute, can be regulated by means of a regulating set-screw K', the end of which catches against the fixed slide-bracket F2, as shown in Figs. 2* and 3.

A is a flexible cord extending across the machine and onto which the ends of the magnets fall, as shown in Fig. l, so as to thereby prevent them from d roppiug so heavily among the nails in the box A as to scatter or bend them.

The nails, while suspended by their heads in the stripping-chutes ll H', are caused by the combined action of gravity and the vibration of the machine to slide down into delivery-chutes, each formed of two fixed plates J J, placed at an angle to each other and at a suitable distance apart to admit of the shank of the nails sliding between them. These plates J are xed to cross-bars J J2, secured tothe side frames J3 of the machine, as shown. The lower end of each of these chutes J is alternately opened and closed in an a utomatic manner and at iixed times by a projection L, carried by a bar L, adapted to slide in fixed guides Z. This slide-bar is caused to move endwise in one direction by a bent bar L2, that is secured to the work-table F and acts against an arm L on the slide-bar when the work-table moves toward the grooved nail-plate F. The motion of the bar in the other direction when moving backward is effected by a spiral or other spring. (Not shown, but arranged directly beneath the slide-bar.) Thus the slide-bar L is operated positively in one direction,but should a defective nail become jammed between the projection L3 and the end of the chtite J the spring will not withdraw the bar and cause injury to the apparatus.

In the arrangement shown the bar L is provided with three projections L3, one foreach chute J, and to each of which is secured a U- shaped delivery-magnet M. Each deliverymagnet slides to and fro past the lower end of its corresponding chtite J and acts as follows: Then the foot-lever E is free, as shown in Fig. l, the bar L and magnets M are in the position shown in the upper portion of Fig. 6 and the lower end of each chtite J is closed. By depressing the foot-lever the bent bar L2 forces the bar L in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, and into the posit-ion shown in the lower portion of Fig. G,in which the central portion of each magnet M is opposite the lowermost nail in the chute J opposite to which it is brought. The nail is attracted by the magnet and enters a vertical groove h therein of a size to receive one nail only. Upon releasing the foot-lever the bar L and magnets M, with magnetically-held nails,are drawn back by the before-mentioned spring into their original positions shown in the upper portion of Fig. 6. During this movement the nail held by each magnet M is removed by the linger `n of a tubular releaser N and dropped through this releaser into a flexible tube N below, which conveys the nails into a funnel-shaped pipe N2, (hereinafter called a nozzle,) by which the nail is delivered onto the grooved bar F', which is fixed on the table F, in front of the drivers or hammers P. The point of each nozzle N2 rests by its own weight in the bottom of the groove, above which it is placed to prevent the falling nail shooting beyond the edge F2 of the grooved bar F. The upper end of each nozzle is pivoted and supported by a rod Q, carried by levers Q', pivoted at Q2, and have downward extensions Q2; also springs Q1, connected to the upper ends ofthe levers Q', serve to normally keep the lower ends ot' the nozzles forward and in contact with the grooved bar F. By this arrangement, as the table advances toward the drivers or hammers P, the lever-extension Q2 will be brought into contact with a fixed pin Q2, so that the levers will turn on their centers and the lower ends ot` the nozzles will be raised from the grooved nail-plate F to permit the nail-head to clear. Thus by alternately depressing and releasing the foot-lever E, nails will be lifted by the magnets B from the box A and delivered into each of the chutes H H', where they will slide down into the chutes J, from each of which they are taken, one at a time, by a magnet M, from which each nail is removed by a releaser N and allowed to fall by gravity through a flexible tube N and nozzle N2 onto the grooved nail-barF, in readiness to be forced into the pieces of wood to be nailed together when these pieces of wood are driven toward them.

R is an ordinary guide-fence.

S S are draw-bars jointed to the levers S on the shaft D, and by means of which the table F is operated by the foot-lever.

As will be obvious, the shape of the magnets can be varied, if necessary, to snit different kinds of iron nails to be delivered.

Vhat I claim isl. In apparatus for feeding nails to a nailing-machine, the combination of a receptacle for nails, a chute open at its bottom and by which nails delivered therein are delivered forward to the nailing-machine, a magnet or magnets, and means for causingsaid magnet or magnets to travel within said receptacle in contact with nails therein and afterward to pass through the bottom of said chute, substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

IIO

2. In apparatus for feeding nails to a nailing-machine, the combination of a receptacle for nails, a nail-chute having a slot or opening through its bottom, endless chains mounted to run over chain-Wheels, a series of magnets carried by said chains, and mechanism for operating said endless chains, said magnets being so arranged as to pass through said receptacle and through the bottoni ofA said chute, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

In apparatus for feeding nails to a nailing-machine, the combination, with a magnet provided with a swinging holder, endless chains by which said magnet is carried, and a chute having an open bottom through which said magnet passes at one part of its travel, of a roller over which the magnet passes, and a strip or part, such as G', against which the free end of said balance-piece works during part of the downward motion of said magnets, substantiallyT as herein described, for the purpose specified.

Ll. In apparatus for feeding nails to a nailing machine, the combination, with a suspended magnet or magnets and means for causing the same to travel, of a chute having a slot through its lower side and constructed in parts, and mechanism for causing said parts to open at intervals, substantially as herein described, for the purpose' specified.

5. In apparatus for feeding nails to a nailing-machine, a nail-chute the sides of which are made in two parts longitudinally and arranged With their lower ends at a short distance apart to form a slot or opening, one of said sides being fixed and the other movable, a traverser-bar to which said movable side is secured, and mechanism fo'r intermittently reciprocating said bar, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.-

6. In apparatus for feeding nails to a nailing-machine, the combination, with a nailchute, of a magnet arranged in proximity to the delivery end of said chute, a nail-releaser, a nail-tube arranged below said releaser, and

means for moving said magnet from the delivery end of said chute to a position past said nail-releaser, said releaser having a finger or part to extend into the path of a nail carried by said magnet, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

7. In apparat-us for feeding nails to a nailing-machine, the combination, with a nailchute, of a magnet formed with a nail-groove, a projection orV part, such as L3, adapted to close the delivery end of said nail-chute, a bar by which said magnet and projection or part L3 are carried, means for reciprocating said bar, and a tubular nail-releaser having a projection or finger eXtendin g into the path of a nail carried by said magnet, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified.

S. Apparatus for feeding nails to a nailingmachine, comprising a series of permanent magnets provided with a swingingholder, endless chains for carrying and operating said magnets, a nail-receptacle through which said magnets pass, mechanism, substantially as described, for operating said endless chains and magnets, chutes II Il', each having a slot through its lower side and made in parts, means, substantially as described, for intermittently moving one of said parts from the other, chutes J, each in line with one of said chutes H H', projections or stops L3, arranged at the delivery ends of said chutes and each carrying a delivery-magnet M a bar L, by which said projections or stops Lg are carried, mechanism, substantially as described, for reciprocating said bar with said magnets, and projections at right angles to the delivery ends of said chutes J, and tubular releasers N, each provided with a finger n, arranged to extend into the path of a nail carried by the delivery-magnet that passes it, substantially as herein described.

JOSEPH MARCH VEBSTER.

lVitn esses:

.I No. REYNoLDs, F. M. C. Soorr. 

